Opposition, Ichung'wah trade blame over Kikuyu town chaos

Opposition, Ichung'wah trade blame over Kikuyu chaos. [File, Standard]

The United Opposition and Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung’wah have issued conflicting accounts over violence witnessed in Kikuyu on Saturday, April 11, each side blaming the other for the chaos.

In a statement, Ichung’wah accused Gachagua of orchestrating the unrest and linking it to past incidents of political unrest.

“The violence witnessed in our constituency today is organised and deliberate, and they are being coordinated by the same person who was coordinating them then; one Rigathi Gachagua,” he said, further alleging that the former Deputy President had mobilised outsiders into the area.

The lawmaker called on authorities to take action, urging the Inspector General to commence investigations into the incident and those involved.

“Any leader who thinks they can cause the kind of violence we have seen in Kikuyu today and get away with it is greatly mistaken,” he said.

However, Gachagua’s allies painted a different picture, accusing police of targeting opposition leaders.

According to an incident report shared by Paloma Gatabaki, a communications aide to Kalonzo Musyoka, a convoy carrying Gachagua, Kalonzo and Eugene Wamalwa was intercepted by armed police officers at the Gitaru-Kikuyu interchange.

The report claimed officers used live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets, forcing the convoy to split, with one group diverted towards Mai Mahiu as police allegedly pursued them.

It further alleged that police later followed Gachagua’s group to Kikuyu, where a rally was taking place, and “attacked the gathering,” leaving several people injured.

“Make no mistake, this was an assassination attempt in broad daylight carried out by police officers,” the report stated.

Separately, the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) also condemned the incident, accusing police of using excessive force against the opposition convoy and describing the actions as “reckless” and “unjustifiable.”

The party leader, Martha Karua, further raised concerns over what she termed selective application of the law by security agencies, urging IG Kanja to speed up investigations and hold culpable officers to account.